The first warning of such a crypto scam came from the Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS on April 20, according to Reuters. The company alerted shipowners that scammers posing as Iranian authorities had sent messages to shipping companies asking for 'transit fee' payments in bitcoin or tether.
"As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran - anywhere they operate. International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels."
The Prime Minister intervened diplomatically after 21 hours of negotiations in Pakistan ended without an agreement on Iran's nuclear program, raising fears of renewed confrontation between the United States and Iran in one of the world's most strategically sensitive maritime corridors.
The UAE is advocating for a broad international coalition and is working with Bahrain on a proposed United Nations Security Council resolution to provide legal backing for the force.
The Royal Navy has previously joined allies in action against the vessels, helping to track a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean which was then boarded by the French navy.
Iran has stated that the Strait of Hormuz is open for ships from countries that are not considered enemies, indicating a selective blockade. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that they are ready to provide safe passage to Japanese vessels, urging them to contact Iran for discussions on transit.
British military planners are examining the possibility of using minehunting drones to detect and neutralise explosives in the water. These systems could be launched from the Royal Navy's Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, which is already operating in the region. The autonomous drones are designed to identify and destroy naval mines without putting sailors in direct danger.
A security source has reported that two unmanned aerial vehicles crashed in the Wilayat of Sohar. One of the drones struck Al Awhi Industrial Zone, resulting in the fatalities of two expatriate workers and causing several additional injuries.
The Port of Salalah, located on Oman's southern coast, is one of the region's most important maritime gateways and had been widely regarded as a relatively safe alternative for shipping companies seeking to avoid the escalating risks around the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The port sits at a critical intersection of global trade routes linking southeast Asia with Europe, Africa and the Americas.
In the two weeks since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran, thousands of vessels have experienced navigation interference in the Persian Gulf. Commercial shipping through the strait, which carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil, has nearly ground to a halt. Though rocket and drone attacks are also to blame, another major hazard is GPS spoofing—the transmission of counterfeit satellite navigation signals.
I spoke with him around midnight and everything was fine. Then he called me again around 2:30 a.m. and quickly said: 'We're all okay, everyone survived.' Later in the morning, she said, her husband told her that a drone had struck their tanker, triggering a fire that heavily damaged the vessel.
I'm up to 35 different clusters. The clusters she mentions are weird circles of icons layered over the map, with each icon representing a real ship. But ships don't bunch together in tight, unnaturally perfect circles. And they also don't hover over land which is where some of the clusters appear. No, their GPS coordinates have been disrupted, obfuscating their true location.
The RFI calls for a "rapidly procured and installable Counter UAS (unmanned aircraft system) capability" that is "suitable for maritime platforms to detect, track, identify, and defeat airborne threats." Project TALON will combine a mix of "effectors" both kinetic and non-kinetic to counter the threats posed by the proliferation of drones, and is intended to complement current complex missile-based systems.
